Advocacy

ASAM serves its members in many ways. One of the most important ways is by helping to play an active role in shaping government policies that affect their livelihoods and the livelihoods of their patients.

ASAM advocates for policies that promote access to high-quality treatment and recovery support services for the 22 million Americans who suffer from a substance use disorder. The information here will help you stay up to date on emerging issues, enable you to take action and become an advocate for your patients and your practice, and learn about how ASAM is working with government, insurers and other national organizations to promote policies that advance addiction medicine.

Opioid misuse and overdose are a public health crisis in the United States. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and others have come together as the Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose to advance meaningful legislative and regulatory policies this year in response to the opioid epidemic.

ASAM Applauds Walmart’s Launch of DisposeRx

by
ASAM Staff
| Jan 24, 2018

Last week, Walmart announced the launch of an opioid disposal solution, DisposeRx in an effort to curb prescription drug misuse. In addition to providing counseling and informational materials on proper use of opioid medications, Walmart will become the first national pharmacy retailer to offer a new opioid disposal solution. Walmart also intends to offer naloxone behind its pharmacy counters for sale or dispensing by pharmacists in states where practice laws allow it by the end of January.

Nearly 11 million people misused prescription pain relievers in 2016.[i] ASAM applauds Walmart’s actions to combat the opioid epidemic and we hope the debut of DisposeRx will offer patients new solutions to prevent prescription drug misuse.

“It’s important to get unneeded controlled substances out of our medicine cabinets across the country. This is true for opioids as well as other drugs of abuse like sedatives and sleeping pills which are contributing to the development of addiction and to unnecessary deaths. The lack of safe disposal systems represents a huge gap that needs to be filled. Walmart’s initiative will go a long way to get these medications out of easy reach of those for whom they were not prescribed,” said Dr. Kelly Clark, president of ASAM.

Dr. Shawn Ryan, president of the Ohio Society of Addiction Medicine (OHSAM) and Chair of ASAM’s Payer Relations Committee had this to say about Walmart’s announcement:

“This move by Walmart is a positive step towards preventing prescription drug misuse in Ohio and in the rest of the United States. Walmart’s footprint is enormous, and its pharmacies are critical instruments in prevention, treatment, and saving lives. ASAM is excited about this innovative step to address prescription drug misuse and we are hopeful that it will address a key component of the opioid epidemic.”

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Advocacy Articles

ASAM Applauds Walmart’s Launch of DisposeRx

by
ASAM Staff
| Jan 24, 2018

Last week, Walmart announced the launch of an opioid disposal solution, DisposeRx in an effort to curb prescription drug misuse. In addition to providing counseling and informational materials on proper use of opioid medications, Walmart will become the first national pharmacy retailer to offer a new opioid disposal solution. Walmart also intends to offer naloxone behind its pharmacy counters for sale or dispensing by pharmacists in states where practice laws allow it by the end of January.

Nearly 11 million people misused prescription pain relievers in 2016.[i] ASAM applauds Walmart’s actions to combat the opioid epidemic and we hope the debut of DisposeRx will offer patients new solutions to prevent prescription drug misuse.

“It’s important to get unneeded controlled substances out of our medicine cabinets across the country. This is true for opioids as well as other drugs of abuse like sedatives and sleeping pills which are contributing to the development of addiction and to unnecessary deaths. The lack of safe disposal systems represents a huge gap that needs to be filled. Walmart’s initiative will go a long way to get these medications out of easy reach of those for whom they were not prescribed,” said Dr. Kelly Clark, president of ASAM.

Dr. Shawn Ryan, president of the Ohio Society of Addiction Medicine (OHSAM) and Chair of ASAM’s Payer Relations Committee had this to say about Walmart’s announcement:

“This move by Walmart is a positive step towards preventing prescription drug misuse in Ohio and in the rest of the United States. Walmart’s footprint is enormous, and its pharmacies are critical instruments in prevention, treatment, and saving lives. ASAM is excited about this innovative step to address prescription drug misuse and we are hopeful that it will address a key component of the opioid epidemic.”